1. Field
Methods and system consistent with exemplary embodiments of the inventive concept relate to analyzing multi-channel images, and more particularly, to analyzing multi-channel images received through a plurality of channels, combining the multi-channel images into a single image, and performing a single microprocessor image analysis based on the combined single image.
2. Description of the Related Art
An image surveillance system is a system for real-time surveillance or ex post facto check which is constituted by installing a plurality of cameras at a plurality of locations to monitor an area or a plurality of areas. The cameras are configured to transmit images obtained by monitoring the locations. The image surveillance system may also store the images in a storage device.
Image signals obtained by the plurality of cameras are transmitted to a device, such as a digital video recorder (DVR) or a network video recorder (NVR), for management convenience, and a user may manage a plurality of channels through which the image signals are transmitted, simultaneously.
Korean Patent No. 0338421 discloses a method of providing wide-angle moving images by combining and synthesizing a plurality of moving images obtained by a plurality of video cameras through a plurality of channels, respectively.
However, a surveillance system adopting the method disclosed in Korean Patent No. 0338421 should have the same number of microprocessors as the channels to analyze the plurality of images. If, however, the number of microprocessors is insufficient to analyze the plurality of images, an alternative method of sequentially analyzing and displaying the plurality of images by using a time-division technique has been used.
Having the same number of microprocessors as the plurality of channels in a surveillance system causes increase in installation and maintenance costs as the number of images increases, whereas using the time-division technique may deteriorate an analysis performance due to limitations of efficient use of system resources.
In addition, along with increase in the number of surveillance camera channels, techniques for detecting events by using image processing techniques are being developed to resolve insufficiency of manpower. For example, intelligent image analyzing techniques for detecting motions in images, tracking objects in images, and detecting faces are being developed.